Agtegra Coop Officially Launched

(FEB. 1, 2018; ABERDEEN, S.D.) – Today marks the official launch of the farmer-owned Agtegra Cooperative, the result of unification of South Dakota Wheat Growers and North Central Farmers Elevator. Headquartered in Aberdeen, South Dakota, the new cooperative will serve more than 60 communities with 900 employees in North and South Dakota.

“This is the first day of this new cooperative,” says Agtegra Cooperative CEO Chris Pearson. “There is a lot of excitement here from all the work that has gone into preparing us for this moment. Our members have been very honest with what they expect from us, and our employees have worked long and hard to make sure we’re ready.”

As of February 1, all Wheat Growers or North Central Farmers Elevator locations and employees have taken on the Agtegra Cooperative name and brand. A new website featuring the Agtegra Cooperative brand has also been unveiled as a hub for information and business operations of the new cooperative.

“I’m a firm believer in the unique role that cooperatives have in serving farmers and farm families,” Pearson says. “We are legacy rich and future focused – we are two nearly one-hundred-year-old cooperatives coming together to honor and learn from our long histories while moving forward to better serve our members and their communities for generations to come.”

Agtegra Cooperative will operate under the leadership of CEO Chris Pearson, formerly CEO of Wheat Growers, and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Grain Divison, Mike Nickolas, formerly CEO of North Central Farmers Elevator. The new leadership team, announced in October, is now in effect.

“Now that unification is complete, we look forward to meeting with our members and introducing them to our new organization,” Pearson says. “There is much that will be familiar, but we also can take advantage of new efficiencies, expand our use of technologies, invest in resources and offer new services.”

ABOUT AGTEGRA COOPERATIVE

Agtegra Cooperative is a farmer-owned cooperative, headquartered in Aberdeen, S.D., with 900 employees in North and South Dakota serving more than 60 communities, approximately 6,770 member-owners and more than 20,000 equity holders. In addition to offering grain and agronomy services, Agtegra Cooperative offers members aerial application services, fuel, animal feed, and precision ag hardware and software products and services.